Sam Allardyce is the ‘ideal’ manager for Sunderland next season, Kevin Phillips tells talkSPORT

Kevin Phillips has told talkSPORT that Sam Allardyce should remain at Sunderland next season, if the Black Cats are relegated to the Championship.

The Wearside club are four points behind Norwich City, who sit in the final safe place in the table, ahead of the clash between the two sides this weekend.

Allardyce’s men also have a game in hand over the Canaries, but should they lose, it is hard to imagine the Black Cats will remain in the top flight at the end of the campaign.

If they are relegated, there are doubts as to whether Allardyce will remain in charge of the club, as he has a good enough reputation to take a Premier League job.

He could look to leave to further his career, and Sunderland themselves could consider getting rid of the 61-year-old if they want a clean break and the chance to rebuild in the Championship.

However, Phillips, who scored 130 goals in 235 games for the Black Cats, believes Allardyce is the ideal man to lead the club back to the top flight if they are relegated this term.

Speaking to the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Phillips said: “In terms of Big Sam, I think he’ll be the ideal guy to stay at the football club.

“He’s got pedigree of bringing a club out of the Championship with what he did at West Ham.”

The 42-year-old, who is currently assistant coach at Derby County, also believes Allardyce is the perfect manager to fix the underlying problems at the Stadium of Light, which have been dominating the club for the past few seasons.

“There are certainly problems there,” Phillips added. “They’ve been fighting relegation for three or four seasons, and it’s not healthy for the football club.

“Behind the scenes, there are problems, and they need to be sorted. With Big Sam in charge, he would take full control of that and hopefully restructure the club and get it right.”